Sony Pictures will produce a remake of Alfred Hitchcock's 1927 Jack the Ripper thriller The Lodger, Variety.com reports. David Ondaatje is set to write and direct the film, which will take inspiration from the Marie Belloc Lowndes novel of the same name. However, this version of the story will be set in modern day Los Angeles and concern a copycat killer. No word yet on casting prospects.

Fangoria.com has scored the final details on Anchor Bay/Starz Entertainment's "Masters of Horror" Season 1 box set. Coming August 28th, the set will collect all 13 episodes of Showtime's horror anthology series in a "mausoleum" box. Also included (and this is the new information) will be a fourteenth disc with some intriguing featurettes. They are:

"Masters of Horror" Dinner: Executive producer Mick Garris gathers the Season 1 directors to converse over a meal at Hollywood's Magic Castle restaurant.

"Masters of Horror" Director's Guild of America discussion

Two segments from Garris's 1980s cable talk show "Fantasy Film Festival", featuring Steven Spielberg and John Boorman.

The set's suggested retail price is set at $79.97, although you can expect it to be lower at online retailers like Amazon.com. The collection is limited to 20,000 units.

“He is not easy to describe. There is something wrong with his appearance; something displeasing, something downright detestable. I never saw a man I so disliked, and yet I scarce know why. He must be deformed somewhere; he gives a strong feeling of deformity, although I couldn’t specify the point. He’s an extraordinary-looking man, and yet I really can name nothing out of the way. No, sir; I can make no hand of it; I can’t describe him. And it’s not want of memory; for I declare I can see him this moment.”

Let's take a second to review the process of listing "best movies". The only word that can really be used to describe the process is "arbitrary." In the case of the AFI's "100 Best" lists, the American Film Institute's "experts" -- over 1,500 "leaders from the creative community", including directors, writers, actors, cinematographers, and editors -- vote from a list of 400 nominated films on which 100 are the very best. The film must be feature-length and American.(read more...)

Marc Blucas ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer", Thr3e) and Naveen Andrews ("Lost", Grindhouse) have signed on to Animals, a new horror movie produced by Anonymous Content (Babel) and T&C Pictures. Also joining the cast are Nicki Aycox (Jeepers Creepers II, "Supernatural"), Eva Amurri (Saved!), and Andy Comeau ("Huff"). Craig Spector wrote the script from his 1992 novel of the same name, his last with co-writer John Skipp. The film's plot will focus on a blue-collar worker who becomes entangled in a love triangle. If the book's template is followed, then things will proceed to get very bloody from there. First-time director Doug Aarniokoski is expected to begin filming next week in Salt Lake City.

Bong Joon-ho's South Korean monster flick The Host has gained quite a reputation over here in the States, so this news isn't surprising: Chungeorahm Film, the production company behind the film, is planning a sequel, according to Yonhap News. "We'll start making the film from this fall," said Choi Yong-bae, CEO of Chungeorahm. Joon-ho will reportedly not be involved, as he will be working on other projects. The Host 2 is projected to have a budget of 10 billion won (roughly $10.8 million US dollars).(read more...)

MGM has announced more Midnite Movie DVDs for release on September 11, 2007, according to DVD Drive-in. In addition to the previously announced Witchfinder General, Food of the Gods, From Beyond, Return of the Living Dead, After Midnight and Scarecrows, you can expect to see the following double features on the shelf:

Jeffrey Reddick, screenwriter on the upcoming Day of the Dead remake, recently gave fellow horror site Arrow in the Head an update on the project's progress. Said Reddick: "I'm not sure when the movie's coming out. I know they're doing some reshoots very soon..." Reddick will be doing some additional rewrites on the film, as will director Steve Miner (Friday the 13th Part 2 and Part 3, Lake Placid).(read more...)

More from the DVD Drive-In folks. In addition to the MGM releases detailed here, Fox will be releasing DVDs of a number of films from its own vaults on September 11, 2007. Included is a double feature of the Amicus Tales from the Crypt (1972) and Vault of Horror (1973), both making their DVD premieres. Other two-in-one deals include Chosen Survivors / The Earth Dies Screaming (the latter directed by Terence Fisher), Devils of the Darkness / Witchcraft, and Blueprint for Murder / Man in the Attic. All of these sets are expected to retail for around $14.99.(read more...)

Michael Reeves' 1968 horror film Witchfinder General (also known as The Conqueror Worm) will finally be coming to DVD in the USA, according to DVD Drive-in. The film follows Matthew Hopkins (Vincent Price) as a man who preys on the superstitions of 17th Century England, torturing "witches" for a fee. The new DVD will contain Reeves' director's cut of the film, as well as the original score by Paul Ferris, which had been replaced in all previous US video editions of the film. Producer Phillip Waddilove and actor Ian Oglivy have recorded a commentary for the release, and Waddilove's personal collection of production stills will be included as well.(read more...)